Below are photos of some of the people Sam knew, worked with, or met.

Sam claims to know nothing, but give him a subject and he will find something to say about it: See the list of subjects below. Choose a subject or a celebrity from the list below. When you have heard enough, simply say “Basta!” and he will cease. Maybe?

Set designer
Sex
Song promotion
Song writing
Sonoma
Sport fishing
Stand up comedy
Swimming
University of Miami
Wine making
Women
Writing
Yacht captain

Most of his meetings with celebrities were accidents, he never set out to meet celebrities, it just happened. The stars following the names below, indicate my relationship with that person: **** Knew well, *** Became acquainted, ** Worked for or with, * Introduced to:

NOTICE: On February 9, 2013 @ 10:00 AM there was a free special showing of the Musical Cancel Christmas at the Ashland Public Library, 410 Siskiyou Blvd.

This was the kickoff for two major reasons. First, to raise funds for the publishing of the illustrated book, CANCEL CHRISTMAS, and the 2013 production of the musical, CANCEL CHRISTMAS. Second, to enlist people in, or near, the city of Ashland in the 2013 production: actors, dancers, singers, technical people, costume and make-up people and anyone who wants to be part of a community project, by helping in anyway they can.

It is a musical for children of all ages.

As I said before, we need: dancers, singers, actors, technicians, make-up and costume people, set designers, builders, sponsors, and loyal supporters.

Children of all ages, from ten to ninety are invited to attend and participate. All people who would like to work on, or sponsor, this wonderful story.

We are starting the production early so that every little detail will be covered.

Award of excellence from the
Film Advisory Board.
"CANCEL CHRISTMAS is a wonderful story for children, and the type of story
that is needed in these days of violence."

"Delightful!"
"Charming!"
"At bedtime, I
read a couple of chapters to my children and they always want more."
"My little
girl is reading it for the third time."
"Sam, I have read and truly enjoyed the story. It is wonderful to read
something so beautiful in such a time when children are all but forgotten for being
children. Gribby is a great character." - Christopher
"My husband reluctantly accompanied me and
our son to the play, and he was totally entertained. It is for children
of all ages."
"When Santa rescued Bogwig it was so beautiful that it brought tears to my
eyes."

5 other companies, besides the co-prodution of the Ukiah Civic Light Opera and The Ukiah Playhouse Theatre, are producing Cancel Christmas this year. - Cancel Christmas productions for this coming Holiday Season are:
Directed by Les Pfutzenreuter & Paula Samonte
Note: Ukiah Players Theatre Website I was invited to to Ukiah for radio interviews and to meet the directors and cast. I was also invited to a rehearsal that was very impressive. The directors and the cast were doing an outstanding job. I'm going back in December. The play runs Thursday thru Sunday for four weeks, beginning November 19th.

Zabrze, Poland
Directed by Katarzyna Klunduk

Port Mammouth, NJ
Directed by Moe Rios

Tbilis, Georgia Republic
Directed by Irakli Chumburidze

La Habra, CA - La Habra Depot
Directed by Chris Grisey

Provo, Utah
Directed by Shelley Ellis

If the person from Australia, who requested a script, would send a valid email address, I will contact you.

FOR SCHOOLS AND ORGANIZATION
INTERESTED IN PRODUCING CANCEL CHRISTMAS
If you are interested in producing Cancel Christmas,
Click here for Cancel Christmas Production Form

NOTICE: If you do not receive an answer or your question, or your comment is not posted, please resend, because your email address may have been mis-typed.
I just received an email from Australia, requesting a script. I answered, and their email was returned because of a faulty email address.

When you fill out the contat form regarding acquiring the script, please include all information regarding: location, production, time and number of performances, organization, etc. It will save your time and mine.

EDDIE CANTOR - A note about Eddie Cantor, a great performer of the days of radio and film.
Indicative of his effect on the mass audience, he agreed in November 1934 to
introduce a new song by the songwriters J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie, a song that other well-known artists had rejected as being
"silly" and "childish." The song, Santa
Claus Is Coming to Town, immediately had orders for 100,000 copies of
sheet music the next day. It sold 400,000 copies by Christmas of that year.
Thanks Eddie. To
his site click here

Two books of short stories about horses,
with a story written by Sam in each book.

Horses with a Mission: Extraordinary True Stories of Equine Service
By Allen & Linda Anderson

For the original book
Retail $9.95 + Shipping & Handling $3.50.
Price for the new illustrated copy will be published soon.

Click Pay
Pal logo to order with your charge card

Allow 2 weeks for delivery.

Don't wait till Christmas!Christmas Greeting CardsArtist, Cindi
Valverde has illustrated the next edition of
Cancel Christmas.
Her other illustrations will appear here soon.
See Gribby, Santa's main man; Flasher, the glowing Reindeer;
Bogwig, the king of the evil trolls; elves, trolls and scenes from the
story.

A WONDERFUL, FUN STORY ABOUT SANTA CLAUS
Your children will LOVE IT.
A Christmas story for children of all ages.Contact Us

Santa is lured to Bogwig's Great-Ice-Caves beyond the North Pole. A note from Bogwig,
pinned to Santa's door, said, "Cancel Christmas, or else . . ."

Read what happens to Santa. Read about the exciting rescue by his faithful elves.
Read about Flasher, the amazing reindeer that looks like a shooting star when leading the
reindeer on Santa's journeys. And by all means,
read this story to your children.

Cancel Christmas was
originally written as a play. First produced in Sonoma, California, at the
Sebastiani Theatre, where it ran for three years - also done in Petaluma and
San Rafael, CA. In 1996, it was produced in Ukiah, CA and at the Patio
Playhouse in Escondido, CA, with great success. In 1999 it was produced at
the San Diego Children's Museum. Last (2005) year, the Huntington Beach
Playhouse produced it. Click here to read about the play
at Huntington Beach.
The Eagle Rock Stage produced it in 2006. Click here to go to the Eagle Rock Stage web site.

After many revisions and the addition of music,
the play has evolved into a full musical, with dancing and singing.

A book has been adapted from the play. The first edition was printed in 1996. An
illustrated edition is in the planning stages. In 1999 a screenplay was
written and is being represented by The Wright Agency, a Writer's Guild
Agency.

Some comments from People who have read the book or seen the
play:"Delightful!"
"Charming!"
"At bedtime, I
read a couple of chapters to my children and they always want more."
"My little
girl is reading it for the third time."
"Sam, I have read and truly enjoyed the story. It is wonderful to read
something so beautiful in such a time when children are all but forgotten for being
children. Gribby is a great character." -Christopher
"My husband reluctantly accompanied me and
our son to the play, and he was totally entertained. It is for children
of all ages."
"When Santa rescued Bogwig it was so beautiful that it brought tears to my
eyes."

INTRODUCTION TO CANCEL CHRISTMASJanuary 14, 2013As you will see in the following history, Cancel Christmas started in 1976 in Sonoma, California, in the Sebastiani Theatre. This introduction is to bring the readers up to date with the many things that have happened, and are now happening, regarding Cancel Christmas.

Before I begin; a very talented singer and dear friend, Sarah Vaughan, gave me encouragement that has helped me continue with my goals for Cancel Christmas. That, and the encouragement received by my family, friends and audiences, I know that one day Cancel Christmas will be well known throughout the world.

In the middle of March, about a week before I was to leave to take on the part of “Gus, The Theatre Cat” for the musical Cats, produced by the Ukiah Civic Light Opera, I learned that Hallmark had produced a movie with the title Cancel Christmas. In all of the years that I have been trying to get this into film (at one time, I had a Writer’s Guild agent representing me, but she was in the state of retiring and nothing ever came of it - Disney lost one script submitted and requested another), I wondered when someone would pick up the title. It finally happened and Hallmark did it.

With that on my mind I enter Northern California for the role of Gus. It was a very rewarding experience, and also, very inspirational. I returned with newfound energy; enough to work in an independent film (Donovan’s Legacy) with my good friend, Russell Copley. We had a great time performing in that film. That was when I decided to, once again, produce Cancel Christmas this coming year (2013).

I plan to start the same process as I did when I first wrote the play. I will form a new group of “Mini-Players” and train them in the art of drama. I see a great need for some good basic training that is lacking in many of the players of today.

In the first production, I had the advantage of working with the cast many months before we started rehearsals; training them just to be good actors, not thinking beyond those moments. At that time Cancel Christmas was not in my mind, it happened after a Mini-Player's Halloween performance, for the Boys and Girls Club of Sonoma. The director of the B & G Club approached me, requesting a Christmas play.

The reason I formed the “Mini Players” was to be nearer to my own children, who were in the class and performed those first years of Cancel Christmas. Any reason to continue working with them was welcome.

I am a little older now. After playing Gus, in the musical Cats, I decided to once again start a drama class and produce Cancel Christmas. Now that I am living in Ashland, Oregon. I have scheduled a showing time at the Ashland, Public Library Branch. I will be looking for a venue for the final production. Of course, I will be looking for sponsors.

01/13/2011- Today, while going through my old files, I found an old folder containing the book, Miracle on 34th Street; I’ve had it a long time and decided it was time to read it. The book was by Valentine Davies, who had conceived the idea for the film. Davies gave credit to George Seaton who wrote the screenplay and presented it to Twentieth Century-Fox – he also directed the film. It became a Christmas favorite to this day.

I have seen the movie many times – I was at the preview of the transition to Technicolor, and had the good fortune to meet John Payne, who played the attorney, defending Kris Kringle.

Davies had done something similar to what happened with Cancel Christmas. He gave the concept to a screenwriter who wrote a screenplay, then, after the movie was out, wrote the book. I wrote the play, then the book and finally a screenplay (A Christmas story, waiting to be put on screen).

As I was reading the first chapters, many thoughts were going through my head about my future plans for the production of Cancel Christmas. A few events influenced my next thoughts and a decisions

The story is really heartwarming – it made me realize my feeling about that time of season. A feeling I have more and more as time goes by. I once said that Christmas should be an all year celebration. The way my life is progressing, I feel that I live Christmas each day of my life.

A little Post Script to the above:At the time I finalized the introduction, I had not finished reading The Miracle on 34th Street – I was about halfway though it, which was enough to inspire the above writing, when a number of events happened.

I decided it was time to finish reading The Miracle on 34th Street . As I said before, and as the author had explained, the book was written after the movie was produced. It was the author’s concept, but George Seaton wrote the screenplay. Valentine Davies, the author, saw it as a collaboration. He changed some of the story, but kept mostly to the theme of the movie. I am telling you this so that you will understand the significance of what I am about to say.

As you may remember there was a young lad working at the department store who befriended Kris. Kris learned that the store Psychologist was confusing this young lad, which started the road to court. In the book it is written differently.

The store Psychologist was giving a lecture in the Neighborhood Center Auditorium; His lecture was about, exploding the myths of Santa Claus. Kris heard about the lecture and stole in through the back and ended up on the stage - this started the trip to court in the book.

This is a quote from the book about the auditorium, “It seemed that the Children’s Theater was giving its Christmas production and the set, which contained a large window and a fireplace could not be removed between performances.That line in the book, large window, took me aback.

Because of the material in the folder and because of the name of the used bookstore in Petaluma, I must have purchased that book, for twenty cents, around 1978 or 79 (Cancel Christmas was first produced in 1976) - I did not finish reading The Miracle on 34th Street until today, June 9, 2011. Now we come up to the reason I am writing this.

In my very first production, and all the productions that followed, there has always been a large window downstage for the elves to run to, in order to watch Santa go off with the reindeer and Flasher in the one horse open sleigh; also, in the workshop there was always a large fireplace.

There are a lot of Christmas productions with fireplaces, but I have never found one with a huge window downstage. I had one! - and for a purpose.

To me, this is a sign, a sign that tells me, that after all of the years I have been promoting Cancel Christmas, it was time for it to be recognized. I am producingCancel Christmas, this Christmas season, 2013, in Ashland Oregon.